KCCA official suspended over 'fraud'

By Brian Mayanja

KAMPALA - Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) deputy director for physical planning, Ivan Katongole, has been interdicted on suspicion of fraud as Police continues to unearth graft in the authority.

Ivan Katongole was on the list of the six top KCCA officials interdicted by the executive director, Jennifer Musisi, in less than three months.

Others are Micheal Nsereko, a senior consultant, Mesach Mubiru, the health director and Paul Mudanye a solid waste engineer, Badru Muyingo, Mukalazi Musa and Kyota Mulani, all from the directorate of revenue and treasury.

Jacob Lukambuzi, KCCA’s head of monitoring and inspection Unit, confirmed the interdiction.

Katongole’s interdiction comes barely 10 months after his boss, George Agaba, was suspended for participating in a fatal shooting in Port Bell, a city suburb.

Information from Musisi’s office revealed that the interdiction followed Katongole’s arrest by Police on charges of soliciting bribes from five junior officers. The source said the junior officers petitioned the city executive director’s office last month.

“He asked for sh5m from each so that they are not scrapped from the payroll. He told them that he had already informed the human resources director about their poor performance. They came to our office crying. They reported the matter to Musisi and she ordered Police to monitor his movements. We gave each sh1m to give him and, after a few minutes, Police arrested him,” the source said.

Douglas Nsubuga, one of the victims who made a statement at the Police, confirmed that Katongole threatened to interdict him if he refused to give him the money.

“He told us that we got KCCA jobs because of him. He said if we did not give him the money, we should not bother reporting to work the next week,” Nsubuga said.

Sources say Katongole is also among the top officials being investigated over fake receipts to property owners and approving illegal structural plans.

The Inspector General of Government (IGG) is also probing claims of ghost payments by KCCA officials to individuals and private firms. According to the source, the IGG’s office is probing 50 fraud cases involving KCCA and it is in the final stage of finalising a report.

Early this year, the Auditor General wrote to the city executive director, raising audit queries in the payment and other anormalies in the management of the city.